Gerardo Berlanga Molina
Projects
MIT Astronomical Instrumentation Team
The Astronomical Instrumentation Team at MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research is a research lab that specializes in the creation of state-of-the-art scientific instruments that help researchers further comprehend our cosmos through the study of galaxy formation, absorption and emission in the Circumgalactic Medium, and classification of LSST transients to name a few.
In my time, I've been involved with the development of the Large Lenslet Array Magellan Spectrograph (LLAMAS) which is currently being shipped, installed, and will soon be commissioned at the 6.5m Magellan Telescopes at the Las Campanas Observatory in the Atacama Desert in Chile. I was there for two weeks during the Fall 2024 Semester to help with commissioning setup. Below are the main contributions that I've made:
For my Undergraduate Thesis, I am working on developing an Atmospheric Dispersion Compensator. This device uses two powered optic lenses mounted within stepper motors that can be counter-rotated to minimize the effects of the atmosphere.
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As the 6.5m Baade Telescope tracks stars or gas clouds of interest across the night sky, it tips from zenith to the horizon. This means that the bank assembly of LLAMAS has to be rotated with respect to the telescope if we hope to maintain its gravity vector constant. I developed this Leveling system using an Acme Screw to rotate the 1600kg bank assembly 60 degrees at a rate of 1 degree per second. The Acme Screw allows for minimal holding torque while maintaining high positional precision.
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Our yo-yo design was inspired by a record player. The design included drafts for ease of injection molding, over-molding for the yo-yo axle, as well as two press fits. My team was able to pull off something that no team in the class had been able to successfully achieve before, a square press-fit yo-yo! We also had thermoformed parts, and custom color and sticker designs.
Using statistical manufacturing analysis, we were able to manufacture enough yo-yos to successfully pass a 3ft drop test with a 97% success rate.
As photopolymer resin cures, it releases heat energy through an exothermic reaction. It is beneficial to begin prints at higher temperatures because this reduces the viscosity of the resin. However, this can cause the resin to reach its flashpoint and start a chemical fire. I measured the temperature increase during a 3D print as a function of Layer Cure Time to develop a predictive model that can define apt print parameters. I found that there is a maximum allowable starting temperature and a maximum allowable print time for Stereolithographic and Digital Light Processing 3D printers.
You can view my poster here and read my paper here (full size here)!
I designed a mounting mechanism for the non-standard size IPMSM. Then I developed a hardware testbed to include a torque transducer, large inertia, and a brake. I also used Simulink to help test and validate the novel machine-learning control algorithms for the electric motor.
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The class tasked us with designing a mini robot to introduce us to robotics, and a final robot for the competition at the end of the semester. I designed my robot to have a 4-bar lift to raise three of the game balls to the highest level of the "DNA Helix" scoring mechanism. My design employed two high-torque motors with timing belts to actuate the lift. My robot won the "Thomas Edison" award which is given to "the most diligent, hardworking students in the class."
The first is a Simon-type memory game in the shape of Wall-E. The toy displays a sequence of lights that you must press in the correct order to move up in the game. Each time you succeed, another button is added to the sequence!
The second project is a simple wooden pull-push toy with a cam system on the middle wheels to make the centerpiece dance.
The third project was a team effort: "SquishTalkies." The idea for SquishTalkies was stuffed animals that users could send voice-recorded messages with. Children could communicate with relatives and friends in an asynchronous, phone-free way.
My dad woke me up at six in the morning and asked if I wanted to go to Lowe's. We looked really funny with 12ft long 2" by 4" sticking out of our SUV's front window, with me holding it for dear life. This project taught me a lot about working with wood, and how to design structures to reliably withstand up to four occupants. I worked with drill presses, handheld sanders, band saws, chop saws, and pressure-treated wood. We also varnished and painted the swing to increase its longevity.
